C H A P T E R 2

Selling in the Greatest

Time of All

Last month, I had my very first Uber ride. I was doing some training in Little Rock, Arkansas, and that evening, a friend booked me an Uber ride to take me back to my hotel after a social gathering.

In a matter of minutes, a gentleman in a Prius pulled up. We exchanged pleasantries, and he told me about his job. He described himself as a tech nerd, and his job was making apps for cellular…

March 27, 2016

Our Pledge to Dealers

When I arrived at TrueCar in December, it was apparent to me that the biggest issue facing the company was the need to make TrueCar a more positive place for dealers to do business. Over the past decade, TrueCar has been successful in attracting car buyers, but its overall approach has alienated many…

As I travel from dealership to dealership I often encounter the same issues. This one is a recurring theme.

Many dealers allow their BDC manager or e-commerce director to place any phone number of their liking on the ads, websites and other e-commerce streams. Maybe the vendor told them it was best to advertise a different number for "tracking" purposes. Perhaps the BDC manager feels they need to "protect" their ability to prove the fruits of their labor. Perhaps…

In a make believe world, If dE bought a dealership and we had these 6 Automotive Legends (in their prime) 

Who would be the Best Dealer? Why?

Jackie B. Cooper / Joe Verde / Jim Ziegler / Dave Anderson / David Lewis / Grant Cardone…

For those of us who have been in the automotive business for more than 30 years certainly have heard of Zig Ziglar, Joe Girard, and Jackie B. Cooper. For those of us who started in the automotive business within the last 10- 20 years have heard of Dave Anderson, Jim Ziegler, David Lewis,Grant Cardone,Tom Stuker and Joe Verde, Alan Ram.



But now with social media in full swing and the Internet being able to give every one of us…

AUTOMOTIVE DIGEST BLOG

“TrueCar Seeks the “Truth” about Real Reason for Its Existence”

WHY TRUECAR IN THE FIRST PLACE?

TrueCar was founded on the premise that dealers were exploiting car shoppers on price.

TrueCar was to tell the “truth” about the “price” car shoppers would/should pay.

TrueCar was the great “White Knight” of car pricing for beleaguered car…

Consistency in Branding is Everything!

What does your brand say about your company? Is there a consistent look, feel or message that your customers see when they first interact with your business? Believe it or not, a strong brand can mean the difference between a sale and a missed opportunity.

On this week’s Think Tank Tuesday, I'm discussing what makes a strong brand and explains the steps you need to take to make sure your brand is engaging your customers…

In my last blog I discussed micro-moments – the critical moments, as defined by Google, in a customer’s car buying journey. I also covered the importance of having a strategy that caters to and attracts a customer’s attention at each touch point.

The 5 moments Google defines as important are: Which car is best? ; Is it right for me? ; Can I afford it? ;…

In an effort to gain exposure and effectively reach Facebook fans, one of the obstacles dealerships face in social media marketing is the continuous battle against Facebook’s algorithm. Facebook rolled out its ad platform attempting to monetize its platform and satisfy shareholders. As a result, businesses experienced an extreme decline in reach and were forced to either pay…

I left a 35 year career in automobile retail management eight months ago. I worked as a GM at Dick Hannah, one of the greatest dealer groups in the country, and I loved every moment of it.

I have had many mentors in my life, (grateful every moment for all of them) but I was told by a specific mentor to constantly look in the mirror. To take a look at our…

Implementing Corporate Benefits Programs (CBP) to employees of small/large corporations is nothing new. Manufacturers have been doing it for some time -- Ford’s X-Plan pricing, for example. But, typically, these corporate discount programs are isolated to large national corporations with which the OEMs have successfully partnered. What if you could increase your market share…

Welcome to this week's edition of Black Book Market Insights, with in-depth analysis of used car and truck valuation trends and insights straight from the auction lanes. Click here to download the full…

Stop Waiting, Help is not coming!

Are you having your best Fixed Operations year ever or at least one of your best years?  You should be. Think about it.  If people are not buying new cars then they are keeping the ones that they have, putting more miles on them, needing more services, needing bigger…

Are You Listening?



One of the most important skills our dealership team needs to develop is the art of listening. I am confident all of us at one time or another had our significant other question if we were listening. Many of the times my wife has asked me that question and I answered no. This just illustrates that it is an area…

It's time to increase your potential

A low self esteem and a lack of self confidence can cause you to doubt yourself, limit your potential, and even your income. You can change your outlook and your attitude by make a few adjustments in your personal and work life. 



On this week's Think Tank Tuesday, I’m sharing 5 simple steps to change your outlook and…

An excellent article on Customer Experience Insight shared an analogy that resonated with me as it can be applied to automotive salespeople. The article compares salespeople to trees and states that only 10 percent of salespeople are considered evergreen; are strong and productive no…

Whether it’s an unhappy customer in the service drive because the repair is taking too long; or a customer in sales for 4 long hours attempting to buy a car and less than happy as a result; or a customer making a post-purchase call to report issues with a vehicle they just purchased; dealership managers can sometimes feel as if they are constantly putting out fires and that…